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Mayor Muriel Bowser outlined initiatives Thursday to reduce the rat population, which is believed to have increased in the last few years. According to officials, the number of rodent-abatement requests increased last year by 65 percent — from 2,300 in 2015 to more than 3,500 in 2016.

D.C.’s initiatives focus on improving how the District, businesses and residents manage what rats love: all that delicious trash.

The District’s Department of Small and Local Business Development will offer grants of up to $13,500 for some businesses to purchase or lease a sealed, rodent-proof commercial compactor for their trash, recyclables or compost. The grant program runs through September and could help over 60 businesses.

The solar trash cans, which are enclosed and rat-proof, have panels built into them, allowing them to generate their own power to compact trash. The smart litter bins are equipped with a sensor that monitors the amount and weight of waste. The sensor relays this data to the Department of Public Works via the internet, so crews can track which bins need a pickup.

“We are taking a comprehensive and 21st-century approach to an old problem,” Bowser said in a press release.

Rats are a notoriously hardy lot, however, and D.C. residents have to do their part as well. Bowser recommended the following:

Pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving staple. But if you want to wow your dinner guests with something a little more creative, try these recipes for pumpkin cream cheese brownies or salted caramel pumpkin buns. And if you prefer to drink your dessert, flex your mixology skills with a pumpkin fizz cocktail.